


Ghost Rider: Vengeance

by Mayasco



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Explicit Language, Gabe will not be in this story that much, Gen, Spirits of Vengeance, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-16 22:03:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 15,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13645341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mayasco/pseuds/Mayasco
Summary: Robbie Reyes, following the defeat of AIDA, returns home to be with his brother, Gabe. Unbeknownst to him, a cult that worships some "higher power" has started causing trouble in Los Angeles. While trying to stop them, he meets someone who, like him, has a Spirit of Vengeance bonded to them. They both have to work together to stop the evil that is plaguing their city. That is, if they don't kill each other first.





	1. Robbie's Return

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first real attempt at writing fanfiction. Please feel free to leave some constructive criticism in the comments. Updating on this story will probably be irregular, but they will happen.

One thought has entered young Gabriel Reyes’s mind everyday for the past few weeks. That thought: “Where is my brother?” So much time has passed since he last saw his brother, and no real word from Daisy, or any other agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. for that matter, about his whereabouts. Granted, he knew that they are a government spy organization with a lot of stuff on their plate, but he would have appreciated anything, no matter how small, in order to quell his anxiety. This day was no different then the others. Well, it was until a fiery portal opened up in the living room and Robbie came through it. Finally, his brother is home.

When they saw each other, both Robbie and Gabe became so overwhelmed with feelings that they couldn’t form words. Gabe ended the silence by quietly asking “Are you really here?” 

Robbie answered “Yeah, I am.” They approached each other and embraced, so happy to finally see each other and know that each other is safe. Gabe’s face changes from relief to one of slight anger, and he backed away from Robbie. 

“Where the hell have you been?” 

Robbie gets a slight smirk on his face. “I don’t think you’ll believe me if I told you.” 

Gabe responds “You’re kidding right? My brother is possessed by some demon and goes out at night as some sort of vigilante named Ghost Rider. I think I can handle whatever you have to tell me.”

Robbie went to their couch, sat down, and began to explain. “After I came back from some weird place where I can see everyone but they couldn’t see me, I helped S.H.I.E.L.D. stop Uncle Eli, I was sent to another dimension. In that dimension, the Rider pretty much took over, full-time. I was merely a passenger. I watched as the Rider fought and killed everything that got in his way. Then, a tear was created and we escaped. I then helped S.H.I.E.L.D. take on an android that used the Darkhold to build herself a body made of dark matter to become human and to gain a bunch of Inhuman powers. After the Rider killed her too, I used a new power that I discovered I had to create portals, and took the Darkhold somewhere to keep it safe from anyone else who would to use its powers for evil. And now I’m home.”

Gabe looked at his brother in disbelief and took a deep breath. “Wow. That certainly sounds pretty unbelievable. But, it’s not like I haven’t seen some pretty unbelievable things in the last few years alone. Aliens, Inhumans, and the Ghost Rider himself. Some pretty strange things” Gabe brings his wheelchair closer to Robbie. 

Robbie, in an attempt to change the subject, asks “So, how’s S.H.I.E.L.D. been treating you?" Gabe looks at him, unsure by what he means by that. Robbie sees the face his brother is making. "I mean, they have been taking care of you while I've been gone, right?" 

Gabe shakes his head “No, I haven’t heard from any of them in a while.” 

Robbie begins to get angry, “So, who the hell has been taking care of you?” 

“Nobody. I’m not a child Robbie. I can take care of myself.” 

Robbie begins to calm down. “I know. I know. It’s just … I worry about you. It’s my job to keep you safe. We’re all each other have.” He looks away from his brother.

Gabe shares his brother sentiment. “I want to make sure you’re safe too.” Robbie looks at his brother, and a small smile begins forming on his face. Gabe’s face becomes more serious “Which is why I have to ask you. Is there anyway you can get rid of the Rider?” 

Robbie’s smile disappears. “Yes, but I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon.” 

“Why not?” asks Gabe.

“When I was in that weird place where I was here, but not really here, the Rider went into Agent Mack. I felt like I was slowly getting dragged down somewhere. In order to get back, I had to make a deal with the Rider to get back inside me. I promised him that if he were to return to me, I would help settle his scores. All of his scores.”

It’s Gabe’s turn to get angry at his brother. “Why the hell did you make that deal, Robbie? Now, you’re stuck with him until you die, if he even lets you die.” 

Robbie responds “If I didn’t make that deal, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation in the first place, because God knows where I would be if the Rider hadn’t come back to me. The last time we would have seen each other is on the Zephyr after you saw the Rider for the first time. That’s why I made the deal. So that we can see each other again.”

Gabe is conflicted. He’s happy that Robbie is back, but he’s not sure how to feel that his older brother will forever be tied to a demonic entity known as the Ghost Rider. For right now, however, he’s is willing to put those feelings aside, and focus solely on the fact that he has his brother back. “Well, hey, now that you’re back, care to go a little grocery shopping. We’re running low on milk,” Gabe, semi-jokingly, says.

“And you wait for me to get home to tell me,” Robbie answers, feeling some of the tension leave his brother, and smiles. 

“Well, I wasn’t planning to, but now seems like a good as time as any. I mean, it’s like 4:00 in the afternoon on a Saturday. I doubt it should take you that long to get back.” 

Robbie asks, “Anything else you need?” 

Gabe begins going back to his room. “I don’t know, take a look at the fridge and make a list.” 

Robbie smiles and goes to do just that. 

Just as he is getting to the refrigerator, Gabe comes back and asks “Hey, where’s your car?” 

Robbie’s smile disappears and frustration hits, “Shit!”


	2. Complicated Fellow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A LAPD detective is conducting an investigation that seems to have some very cultish feelings, according to him. People don't seem to believe him, but he is so sure. Why? No one really knows but him and the little voice inside his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally found the time to just sit down and continue writing. Again, please feel free to let me know if I can improve my writing in any way. I'm open to constructive criticism.

Meanwhile the Reyes brothers have their heart-to-heart, a dark brown-haired Latino man, in his early thirties, stands in front of a white board with photographs hanging on it at the Los Angeles Police Department, Hollenbeck Station. He is sporting a tight gray t-shirt, blue jeans, a shoulder holster for his gun, and short black motorcycle riding boots. The man is Michael Badilino, a detective with the LAPD. His leather jacket hangs on the back of his desk chair. Michael is currenting working a case of multiple homicides. Anyone else would be trying to figure out what the connection between all the victims is, but Michael already knows, thanks to a voice in the back of his head. The voice made it well known what the connection is as soon as Michael saw the exact same tattoo on the left shoulder of each victim of the sigil belonging to an archangel. The archangel in question, Zadkiel

Michael sits down in his chair, with fury in his eyes. Detective Manuel Peña approaches Michael. 

“Hey, what the hell is wrong with you?” asks Peña. Clearly Michael does not want to talk right now, so he gives Peña an annoyed look and hopes that he takes the hint and walks away. He chooses to ignore Michael annoyance and continues “You can’t get rid of me that easily.” He goes to sit on Michael’s desk, but he is stopped by Michael’s feet taking up the space where he was going towards.

“I do not like anybody sitting on my desk Peña,” sneered Michael. “What the hell do you want, man?”

Peña is caught off-guard by this display and composes himself. “Jeez, I just came over to see how you were doing. You looked super pissed off. This is the last time I try to be nice to you,” answered. 

Michael responds “Sorry,” however Peña could tell he really wasn’t sorry.

Peña continues, “How’s your case going? You still think it’s a cult?”

Michael scoffs “No. I don’t think it’s a cult. I know it is.” He takes his feet of his desk, stands up, and points to the tattoo on all the victims. “You see this tattoo? It’s on all the victims. This and the fact that they were all killed by being stabbed by a similar curved, serrated blade in the exact same location are the only things any of these victims have in common. The victims were three men and one women, and all of them are different ages, races, ethnic groups, relationship statuses, sexual orientations, and religious backgrounds. So, unless there is a serial killer out there that doesn’t really follow a pattern, who is also capable of killing victim #2 and victim #3 within mere seconds of each other in two different neighborhoods, I think my theory of it being a cult doesn’t sound that far-fetched now, does it?”

Peña challenges Michael theory by responding “We live in a world where aliens exists, where there are secret government organizations, where people can get superpowers at any point of the day due to genetics, exposure to radiation, and foreign substances. Not to mention the fact that we live in a city where a supposed guy with a flaming skulls cruises around in an American muscle car. So, forgive me if I have an open-mind about things and am not too stubborn to rule anything out.” He gets real close to Michael and looks him directly in the eyes. 

Michael is confused by his last remark. "I thought the flaming skull guy drove a motorcycle?” 

Peña responds, "Well, either you heard wrong, or there's two of those sons of bitches roaming around Los Angeles." He tries to steer the conversation back to the matter at hand, "Did it ever cross your mind that maybe, just maybe, it is some psychopath, who could potentially have the power to telepory, that chooses people at random and then puts the tattoo on them?"

Michael sucks his teeth and answers "Yes, I'm not an idiot. That thought did cross my mind, however it went away when the coroner told me that the tattoos were on the victims prior to their murders. For some, a few weeks, at least."

Peña backs away from Michael a bit and asks, "Well then, maybe someone is targeting the people who buy this tattoo?"

Michael sighs heavily and sneers, "Maybe, if it wasn't for the fact that no tattoo artist seems to have done this tattoo, and believe me, they would remember doing this one. So, either a) someone kidnaps these people, puts the tattoo on them, and then kills them afterwards, but that's highly unlikely as these people still went to work and met up with their friends and family, or b) someone does these tattoos in private for them, they go about their lives, and then they are killed for some weird ritual or because they got a little too chatty and spilled some important secrets."

Peña scoffs at this. “That sounds highly complicated and thought out. Which is surprising because you don't have anything that points to that conclusion. Unless, you have any concrete evidence that can prove to me, and everyone else in this precinct, why you are so sure that people are killing in the name of Zadkiel, the archangel of forgiveness.”

Michael grumbles “It’s complicated."

Peña says, “Yeah, that's what I thought. You know, I transferred here not too long ago, and I always wondered why people don’t really like you or why they don’t really want to work with you. Now, I know. Turns out you’re a huge dick who is very my way or the highway.” He walks away.

Once Peña is out of earshot, Michael says, under his breath, “It’s better if people think I’m a dick. That way no one gets close to me, and I can’t hurt them.” He checks his watch and sees that it’s almost 4:30 and his shift is almost over. He gathers his things, including all the evidence from the case, the saddlebag where he will place them, and his helmet, and begins walking out of the station to his motorcycle. He puts the evidence in his bag. Once he reaches his Harley, he puts the bag on the back of the bike, and sits down. Some of the worlds that Peña said have stuck with him. “Two of those sons of bitches? What the hell could he mean by that?”

He puts his helmet on, turns on his Harley, and begins leaving the parking structure. Once he’s out, he hears the voice in the back of his head growl “Ghost Rider.”


	3. An Assembly at Otto's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ghost Rider takes Robbie to go settle one of his scores. In order to do so, Robbie has to infiltrate a meeting dealing with a being known as Zadkiel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back. It's been a while. You know the drill.

After going through another portal to retrieve his car, Robbie went to a local market to get the milk. He went home after purchasing the milk and he put it away in the fridge. He has a lot going on in his head right now, so he decides to go out for a drive. Robbie reaches a stop sign and feels a weird sensation go through him. He starts trying to turn right, but he can’t. His foot then steps on the gas pedal, but none of this is his doing. He quickly realizes that the Rider has taken control and is taking him somewhere.

“Where the hell are you taking me?” asks Robbie. After a few seconds of no response in his head, he asks again.

The Rider finally responds after a few minutes of driving with a simple one-word answer “Vengeance.” This does not really answer Robbie’s question, but he can’t complain. He made a deal with the Rider to settle all his scores, and he has to hold up his end of the deal, so he stays quiet until the destination is reached.

After a few minutes of driving, Robbie ends up in front of a junkyard named Otto’s Junkyard. He’s familiar with this place. His Uncle Eli used to bring him and Gabe here. This is where his education on car repair began. Why he’s here now, he’s has no clue and he especially doesn’t know why he’s here when it should be closed. Regardless, he gets out of his Charger, gets his chain, and begins walking to the entrance.

Robbie does not hear nor see anybody, which makes him even more confused. In the distance, he hears a car approaching. Since he does not know why he’s here, he thinks it would be for the best if he kept a low profile. He looks around for a place to hide, and he notices the window in the small guard shack is open. He jumps in and crouches to avoid detection.

Robbie peeks over and sees a white Corolla park in the parking space. He sees a young, red-haired, Caucasian man in a sleeveless shirt get out with something violet in his hands. He hears somebody slowly approaching. They pass the guard shack and he sees that it is Asian man, also carrying something violet. He starts conversing with the redhead. They enter the junkyard and he starts hearing their conversation.

“-this weirdo on a motorcycle was just watching me pump gas. It was strange, Jimmy” says the redheaded man. He puts on the violet garment, revealing it to be a hood of some sort.

“Well, you were almost late for the meeting, man,” responds, who Robbie assumes to be, Jimmy. He continues, as he also puts on a hood, “It’s almost time for Zadkiel’s plan to come to fruition, so every meeting counts from now on.” 

“I know, I know,” answers the redhead. Robbie can no longer hear their conversation, as they have walked further into the junkyard. After he heard the name Zadkiel, Robbie felt a rush of anger wash over him, so he figures that Zadkiel is the reason that he is here. He checks to make sure no one else is approaching and he exits the shack. He approaches the small office space to see if there is anybody in there. He peeks in the window and sees a large African American man in his late 50’s. He recognizes him as Otto.

Otto opens the door, exits, and puts on a similar looking hood. As he walks away, Robbie quickly makes into the office without Otto noticing. He jumps over the reception desk. He once again feels a strange rush of anger wash over him. “Vengeance,” growls the Ghost Rider in Robbie’s head. Robbie is confused by this, as he still does not know the Rider’s intentions. He sees that Otto’s old laptop is still on and decides to use it.

“Ok. Who the hell are you Zadkiel,” asks Robbie to himself. He goes to the internet, types the name onto the computer, and sees hundreds of thousands of results come up. All the results show that he is the Archangel of benevolence, mercy, and forgiveness. “Well, that doesn’t really help, now does it?”

He closes the page and the laptop. He gets out from behind the reception desk and walks around trying to find anymore clues. Robbie sees through one of the windows and notices that all the equipment is outside of the storage warehouse. He also sees that many people have gathered into said warehouse. 

“The meeting must be taking place in there. The only question now is, how do I get in there?” Robbie then hears someone fall just outside the office. He opens the door, just a bit, and sees that not only has the person fallen, they also seem to have a stab wound on their chest. “That’s not good.” He sees the violet hood on the ground next to the body. “Well, not exactly what I had in mind. I’ll deal with whoever murdered you later, I guess.” He exits the small office, puts on the hood, and walks toward the meeting.

Everyone starts taking their seats. Robbie takes a seat in the back, closest to the exit. No one has seen his chain, as no one is sitting next to him and they are all looking at the front, where an older Hispanic woman, wearing a violet hood as well, is beginning the meeting.

She clears her throat to make sure she has everyone’s attention. “Good evening, my friends. As you all know, I am Damaris and I would like to formerly welcome everyone back. I would also like to thank our comrade, Otto, for allowing us to have this space, as our numbers are growing.” Otto stands up in the front row, waves to the crowd, and sits back down. Damaris continues, “As we all know, Zadkiel’s plan to reenter Heaven is almost complete, and we, his faithful followers, will be by his side as he enters into paradise.” The crowd starts to cheer. “The last two pieces of the puzzle he needs just so happen to be right here in Los Angeles. All he needs is for them to comply, and then the ‘Righteousness of God’ will reign supreme!” she exclaims. They all cheer again.

Robbie looks at everyone in the crowding cheering. “What the fuck is this?”

Damaris looks at Robbie and stops cheering. “You, in the back. Is there something you would like to say?” Everyone stops cheering as well and look back at Robbie.

Robbie sees that they are all looking at him. “Me? No, I don’t have anything to say.” 

Damaris has a vigilant look in her eyes and points. “What is that you have wrapped around you?”

Robbie touches the chain. “This. This is nothing.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” She begins walking towards Robbie. She reaches him and grabs the chain. “A chain. Why would bring a chain to this meeting?”

Robbie does not have a clear answer for this. “Um, well you see-”

She cuts him off. “Who are you? I haven’t seen you before at any of the meetings.”

Robbie responds “Well, like you said, we are growing in numbers. I’m new here.”

Damaris shoots him a disbelieving look. “Are you now? Regardless of whether you are new, in order to attend one of these meetings, you would need to pass your initiation. And I oversee all the initiations. So, I ask, again. Who…are…you?” Everyone is starting to stand up from their seats.

Robbie is starting to get annoyed at her constant questioning. “Funny story about that.” She pulls out a golden curved, serrated blade and puts it to his throat and grabs the chain again. Robbie’s eyes begin to glow red. She lightens her grip on the chain and smiles.

“Ah, I see. You’re one of them. A Rider. A Spirit of Vengeance. One of the last. Zadkiel will be pleased that you came here out of your own volition.” She has yet to remove the blade from Robbie’s throat.

“Listen lady. I don’t know who the hell Zadkiel is, or what it is he’s promised you, but nobody is going use me for some insane cult plot.” He grabs her hand holding the blade, squeezes, and pulls it away from him. “So, I would appreciate it, if you back the fuck off.” 

Some of the other cult members begin approaching Robbie with similar blades. He pushes back Damaris with great force, and the cult members rush toward him. One tries to stab him, but Robbie dodges him and punches him with superhuman strength, sending him flying back. They all try to attack Robbie, but he is holding his own. A boom is heard from the front of the warehouse, and everyone stops fighting. Robbie looks to see what caused the noise and he sees that an unknown man, wielding a knife, has gone through the wall. When Robbie sees him, once again, a near uncontrollable rage washes over him. In his head, he can hear the Ghost Rider growl out “Vengeance!”


	4. Other side of the story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now, we see the events that lead to Michael and Robbie's first meeting at Otto's, from Michael's perspective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter is up. Fair warning, Michael will kill people in this chapter, but it'll be quick. Let me know what you think, and again, if there's anything constructive you would like to tell me, feel free to do so.

Michael has stopped at a gas station on his way back to his home in Lincoln Heights. After he finishes filling up his tank, he sits on his Harley and turns it on, and in the corner of his eye, he sees a young man in a sleeveless shirt at the pump across from him. Michael notices that the man has a tattoo on his left shoulder, and he can barely make out one word, Zadkiel. The man sees Michael staring at him. 

“Can I help you?” sneered the man, clearly annoyed by a stranger silently staring at him with a motorcycle helmet on with his pro shield up. Michael doesn’t respond. This annoys the man even more. “You got a problem, man?” he says. Michael continues to stay silent. “You gonna do something, or what?” the man says as he pulls his shirt up to reveal a revolver. Michael still silent, pulls down his pro shield to hide his eyes, and looks away. “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” the young man quipped. He then gets into his Corolla and drives away.

“Where the fuck are you going, you dumb son of a bitch?” asks Michael to himself. He pulls out of the gas station, and begins following the man, making sure to keep his distance as to not alert him of his presence.

Michael parks his bike about half of a mile away from the young man. He sees him pull into the parking lot of Otto’s Junkyard. A man begin walking towards the young man as he gets out of his car. They seem friendly, but Michael has his doubts. “Otto’s is closed on the weekends. Even if it wasn’t, it’s after 5:00 PM. It’s supposed to be closed by now. So, what the hell are you folks doing?”

Michael gets off his bike, puts on his holster takes his gun, a knife, and gloves, and starts to slowly get closer to the entrance. He crouches down, continues to get closer, and begins putting on his gloves. “Alright, time to put some of that Marine training to good use.” Michael waits a few minutes, just long enough to be sure that no one else is coming. Michael looks at the chain link fence. 

“That looks to be about, what, 8 feet, with the barb wire? My six-foot ass can’t jump that by myself. Luckily, I’m not by myself.” He puts the gun in the holster and hooks the sheaved knife to one of his belts loops. He gets down to a runner’s position. “Vengeance, I’m going to need a little help with this jump.” He bolts toward the fence, jumps, and manages to make it over the fence in a single bound.

“Man, I really hope no heard that,” Michael says.

“What was that?” asked an unknown man.

Michael drops his head and crouches behind a junked car. “I just had to jinx it, didn’t I?” He peaks around the car to see a 5’8 man of average build, wearing a violet hood. “Let’s see, can I kill you with a clean conscious?” He begins to read his soul and smirks. “Well hello, domestic abuser.” His smirk disappears and pauses. “That’s a really bad thing for me to smile about. Oh well.”

He picks up a small rock, throws it, and distracts the man. Once he is distracted, Michael slowly approaches him, with his knife in his right-hand, puts his left arm around the unknown man’s face, covering his mouth, reaches around and stabs him through the heart with the knife. He slowly places the lifeless body on the ground. He begins walking past the office, when an unknown assailant wraps his arms around him and underneath Michael’s arms.

“Who the hell are you?” the assailant asks.

Michael smirks and replies, “You’re worst nightmare, and yes I’m well aware of how cheesy that sounds.” Michael then delivers two elbow strikes to the assailant’s head, bends down a little, shifts his weight, and a hip toss on his assailant. This is when he sees a violet hood that the assailant must have been wearing, but it fell off during the move. Michael stands back up and, when the man groans in pain, he stabs him in the chest. He quickly backs away from the office and gets behind another junked car.

He sees a Latino man in a leather jacket get out of the office, pick up the hood next to the body, and put it on. “Well, hello. You don’t seem like you belong here. So, what are you doing?” whispers Michael.

He once again hears a voice in his head growl “Ghost Rider.”

“You keep saying Ghost Rider. Who the fuck is Ghost Rider?” Michael waits a few seconds. “Oh, what? You’re not gonna tell me. Well then, fuck you too Vengeance.” He then notices that the Latino man is gone, and he is walking to a warehouse that is filled with people, all of them in violet hoods. “That seems to be the place to be.” He slowly starts making his way toward the warehouse. Once he reaches it, he quickly peaks to see how many people are in there. 

“Let’s not go in through this way, because that would be stupid.” Michael makes his away to the exterior of the other side of the warehouse, the entire time he does this he hears a woman talking about Zadkiel. He whispers “Yep. It’s a cult. I fucking knew it.”

He reaches the back and begins looking for a back door or a window he can burst through. He finds a very small window, looks through it, and sees that it’s starting to get very heated in there. A woman, who he assumes was the one speaking earlier, has a curved blade to a man’s throat. Michael notices that it was the same Latino man that he saw get out of Otto’s office. He then sees the man push the woman back with great force, and then start fighting everyone who gets near him.

“Well, shit. I guess he didn’t belong here.” Michael takes a few steps back. “Gonna need your help again.” He then rushes toward the wall, bursts through it, knife in hand. This startles everyone. He sees the Latino man’s face, and a near uncontrollable rage washes over him. He hears Vengeance in his head growl out “Ghost Rider!”


	5. Here comes Vengeance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robbie and Michael begin to fight, and they discover that they both are hosts for Spirits of Vengeance. They also finally come face-to-face with the man, so to speak, behind the cults activity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while since I last updated. Work has prevented me from writing, and it will most likely continue to be the case. I will now not have as much time on my hands, so I will have to get whatever I can done in the little time that I will have for myself. Updates will happen, but they'll probably won't happen as quickly as they were before. Anyway, just like the other times, if you want to leave me any comments, feel free to do so. Constructive criticism is always welcomed.

Both Robbie and Michael feel a loss of control over their bodies and they begin approaching each other, simultaneously pushing, punching, or throwing every cult member that gets in their way. Once they are in arms reach of each other, Robbie lands the first punch to Michael’s face and knocks Michael’s knife out of his hand. 

“Ow, that actually kinda hurt,” Michael says as he rubs his left cheek. “Alright, let’s do this you son of a bitch.” He puts his arms up, and approaches Robbie again, this time quickly landing three straight punches to Robbie, two to the gut and one to his face. 

He and Robbie continue to fight, but it seems that the cult members do not know when to take a hint. One of them grabs one of the chairs they were sitting on and hits Michael in the back, meanwhile another one stabs Robbie in the back with his blade, causing both to get down on one knee. Michael gets up, grabs the folding chair before he can be hit again, delivers a side kick to his assailant’s right midsection, hits him with his left elbow to the face, and then grabs him. Robbie also stands up, blocks a punch from the other cult member, headbutts him, and grabs him by his shirt. Both Robbie and Michael throw their respective cult members at the other, causing for their bodies to meet mid-air, knocking both cult members unconscious.

“You got some strength in you. What are you?” asks Michael.

“I could ask you the same thing,” responds Robbie.

They begin fighting again, throwing punches and kicks while the cult members stand by and watch. Michael gets most of the hits in, but Robbie gets in a few as well. Finally, Michael catches Robbie’s right arm with his right hand, elbows him with his left elbow, moves his right arm around Robbie’s throat, and leg trips him to the ground. He then gets on top of Robbie and begins the ground and pound, landing a flurry a lefts and rights. Robbie gets his wits about him, puts his arms up to block, and pushes Michael off him.

They both get up, and Robbie quickly runs toward Michael and kicks him in the chest, knocking him down. Robbie picks up Michael and throws him toward some of the chairs that were set up. Michael sees his knife is close to him, so he picks it up, and, when Robbie approaches him again, he slashes Robbie’s face.

Robbie slightly groans in pain and backs away a little. “Now, you just pissed me off.” Robbie’s skull begins to burn, and he transforms into the Ghost Rider. All the cult members quickly leave after Robbie’s transformation, but Michael does not seem to be phased by this. Instead, he looks almost happy to see the Rider.

“So, that’s why he wanted me to hurt you so badly,” says Michael. His head begins to burn as well, and he transforms into another spirit of vengeance simply known as Vengeance. He looks very similar to the Rider, however his skull is a deep purple color and his flames are orange.

Ghost Rider and Vengeance begin fighting each other. A flurry of punches, kicks, elbows, knees, knife slashes, and headbutts are thrown. Ghost Rider ducks a slash by Vengeance, and then grabs Vengeance by the neck and throws him through the wall of the warehouse, causing him to once again lose the knife. Vengeance grabs the door of an old Toyota Acoma, charges toward Ghost Rider as he goes through the hole in the wall and knocks him down. He then begins to hit Ghost Rider with the edge of the door. The Rider grabs the edge, pushes it, and hits Vengeance in the face with the other side of the door. Ghost Rider unwraps his chain, swings it at Vengeance, catches him around his throat, and throws Vengeance with ease. Vengeance crashes through the window of a beat-up Volkswagen Beetle.

He climbs out of the car, and both the Ghost Rider and Vengeance approach each other again. They stop when they hear giant wings flapping. They turn to see a middle-aged, good looking man, in a gray three-piece suit, standing with his arms crossed watching them.

“I see you have found each other. That’s good. That will make the next part of my plan that much easier,” the unknown man says. Both Ghost Rider and Vengeance stare at the man, and then begin to growl at him. “Ah, I see. You still remember me? The things I have put you both through, and you both don’t seem to be over it. I stand corrected, this may actually be a bit difficult.”

Vengeance slowly growls, “Zadkiel.”

“You’re talking. That’s interesting. How long have you been inside this poor soul?” asks the man, who seems to be Zadkiel. Instead of responding, both Vengeance and Ghost Rider charge at Zadkiel. “Really? You don’t want to do this.” They both reach him and try to push him. Ultimately, they fail. “I guess you do.” He pushes them both back with ease. He puts his arms behind his back. “Learn your lesson yet?” They both get up and charge again. “I guess not.” Zadkiel smacks Ghost Rider away with the back of his hand. He then easily ducks and evades punches thrown by Vengeance, all while his hands never leaving behind his back. He then flicks Vengeance away like a bug and sends him right back into the warehouse.

Ghost Rider approaches Zadkiel from behind, and is then kicked by Zadkiel, who didn’t even turn around. “Honestly, this is just getting embarrassing now.” Vengeance, in the warehouse, sees his knife, picks it up, and exits through the hole he just went through. He tries to attack Zadkiel with his knife, but he grabs his arm and shoves him back with his free arm. “Can we just talk for a moment?” Ghost Rider gets his chain, swings it at Zadkiel. Zadkiel catches the chain. The chain then catches on fire. “Ah!” screams Zadkiel. Vengeance takes this opportunity, while Zadkiel is distracted, and stabs Zadkiel in the side with his knife, which has also caught fire. “Goddammit,’ howls Zadkiel in pain. “That’s it.” He pulls the chain, causing the Ghost Rider to fly to him, and he grabs Vengeance behind him by the throat and quickly places him in Ghost Rider’s path.

Ghost Rider then lands on Vengeance, and his grip on the chain is loosened. Zadkiel pulls the knife from his side and drops it. He also untangles the chain from his arm. When Ghost Rider and Vengeance start to get up, his lifts his arms and telekinetically lifts them and holds them in place. He slowly brings them over to him. “Perhaps, we should continue this conversation when the two of you are a little less… what’s the word I’m looking for? Ah yes, hotheaded.” Ghost Rider and Vengeance begin transforming back to Robbie and Michael, respectively. Zadkiel then sends them both flying back, landing on the side of a vintage black Mustang. Robbie and Michael are knocked out, the sound of wings flapping happens again, and just like that Zadkiel is gone.


	6. Patience is a Virtue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zadkiel is not to happy about Damaris's actions, which has caused him to change his plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally back. Work got in the way, and, I'm not going to lie, my procrastination started acting up again. I'll try to update more regularly from now on. Also, just letting you know, after this chapter I'll probably be writing more in each chapter from now on. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments.

Damaris and the rest of the cult followers that managed to get away while Robbie and Michael were fighting are now in her home. Some are still shaken up by what they experienced. Damaris is in her kitchen. She pulls out a beer from her fridge and begins to drink. She then hears wings flapping and sees that Zadkiel is now standing in her the center of her living room.

She puts down the beer, approaches him, and kneels. Everyone else follows suit. “My Lord, to what do I owe this-,” she stops talking when Zadkiel holds up his left hand. He then rubs his forehead. She rightly assumes that something is bothering the Archangel. “What is the matter Lord Zadkiel, and is there anything I can do to help?”

Zadkiel lowers his left hand and says, “Yes. You can stop talking and start listening.” He puts his arms behind his back and begins to pace in Damaris’s living room. “I distinctly remember telling you all if you find the last two hosts to leave them alone. And, if you had to interact with them, to not threaten or hurt them in any manner. Does this sound familiar to anyone?”

Damaris responds, “Yes, my Lord.”

Zadkiel stops pacing. “Uh huh. So, tell me. If what I just said sounds familiar, why, oh why, did you have a blade to Roberto’s throat?”

Damaris begins to rise. “I didn’t know who he was.”

Zadkiel waves his hand down and makes her kneel again. “Then why, after finding out who he is, did you not remove it? Can you answer that?” Damaris avoids eye contact. “You can’t, can you?” He sighs heavily and approaches her. “Damaris. Damaris. Damaris. What am I going to do with you? You have been my most loyal servant for many years now. You have done right by me so many times.” He puts his hand on her head and rubs her. “But,” he says and then forcibly grabs her hair, “as of late you have been getting sloppy. Having meetings in public areas where anyone can see. Leaving bodies lying around for anyone to find.”

“Not just anyone. One of the host of a Spirit of Vengeance, my Lord. I was trying to draw them to us. I thought-” she stops and groans as Zadkiel pulls the handful of hair.

“You thought? Well, that was your mistake. I am in charge here. I am the brains of the operation. I am also the muscle. So,” he lifts her up by her hair a few inches, causing her to groan and everyone else to be shocked by his actions, “you don’t do anything without consulting me first.”

“I don’t understand, sir. Our plan-” he pulls harder on her hair. “I’m sorry. Your plan is so close to being completed. You know where they are. They are ripe for the picking. Yet you refuse to act. Why don’t you just take them already?”

Zadkiel sucks on his teeth and throws her to the wall. He sighs heavily again. “Patience is a virtue. One you seem to be lacking. Do you not realize that your actions have consequences? Because of you, Roberto and Michael are now aware of my presence here. Not only that, but they see me as the head of a cult that involves human sacrifice.”  


“But you are sir,” says one of the cult members that has stayed silent up to this point.

Zadkiel, without looking away from Damaris on the floor, points his hand to the cult member, performs a twisting motion, and snaps his neck. “Even though that may be the case, I would have preferred if they were not aware of this fact. This will cause them to not trust me. And it will be that much harder for me to convince them to do what I want them to do.” He squats down in front of Damaris. “Like you said, my plan is almost complete. I will soon be able to reenter Heaven after many millennia. But right now, as we are almost done, is when your actions mean much more. I now must make changes to my plan because of your incompetence. And unfortunately for you, I also must make an example out of you.”

Damaris begins to plead with him. “Please no. I apologize for my mistakes. I promise it won’t happen again.” She would have continued, but Zadkiel shushed her and caused her voice to disappear.

“I’m not happy for what I must do. But it must be done.” Zadkiel’s right hand is engulfed in holy fire. He puts it on Damaris’s head, causing her to be set aflame. Her screams of agony echo throughout the house, until only ashes occupy where Damaris used to be. The flame around Zadkiel’s hand is extinguished. He stands back up and looks at the remaining cult members in the room. “Get up,” he orders. They all rise. “Because of Damaris, we now have to throw the original plan out the window.” He puts his hands behind his back again. “I want everyone to be honest with me. Who here was one hundred percent behind Damaris and her actions?” Four of the members feel compelled to raise their hands. "You four, huh?" He takes a deep breathe. "Look, I'm not a monster. So, I will show you four imbeciles mercy. Get out of my sight, before I change my mind.".

The red headed cult member, who is one of the four tries to reason with Zadkiel. “Um, excuse me sir?”

This displeases Zadkiel. “Leave Damian! Before my patience runs thin.”

They all quickly leave. One of the remaining cult members comes up to Zadkiel. "Um, my lord. Are you not worried that they will do something that they shouldn't do. I mean, they weren't the brightest ones among us?

Zadkiel answers, “Oh, they most likely will. You need not worry about that. If they do, the Spirits of Vengeance will kill them. And if they don't then I will. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For right now, I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt.”

The cult member asks, "Well, what are we going to do?"

Zadkiel looks at his follower. "Well, for one we have to call an audible. I now have a very limited time before they are entirely convinced that I am a 'bad guy,' so I have to make a move fairly soon." Zadkiel turns to look at the other cult members in the room. "I want to make myself perfectly clear. No one is to harm those two gentleman. At least, not until I say so. Does everybody understand?" 

"Yes sir!" the cult members exclaim. 

"I want you all to spread the word to all who remain. If I hear that someone does not follow my orders, they will have to contend with me." Zadkiel pauses. "In fact, unless i say otherwise, I want all of you to stay away from them. Do everybody understand?" 

"Yes sir!" the cult members exclaim again. 

"I will now leave you. I must think of a new plan. Once I have created it, I will inform you all and ask for your assistance when needed. Does everybody understand? 

"Yes, sir!" the cult members exclaim again. And just like that, with only the sound of flapping wings, Zadkiel disappears, leaving his minions to follow the commands that he has given them. 


	7. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael and Robbie try to have a conversation about the events that just took place. Robbie and Gabe also have a much needed conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back. Yay. This one is a bit longer than what I normally put out. Just let me know what you think of it. Do not be shy. Tell me what you really think. Let me know if I made any mistakes or anything like that.

The sun begins to rise, and the hosts of the Spirits of Vengeance begin to wake. They groan, and both, simultaneously, hold their heads. Robbie is the first one to gain his wits about him, sits up, sees Michael laying next to him, grabs his shirt, and is instantly in interrogation mode.

“Who the hell are you and why the hell did you start attacking me last night?” Robbie asks Michael. 

“Really? Not even a good morning, or something? We did just wake up,” scoffed Michael.

“Answer the damn questions,” barked Robbie. 

“I’ll answer if you let me go,” responds Michael.

“Not gonna happen,” says Robbie.

“Well, then. It would seem like we are at an impasse,” answers Michael. Awkward silence occurs for the next few seconds, and Robbie finally lets go of Michael’s shirt and stands up. “See, now was that so hard?” quips Michael as he stands as well. This causes Robbie to quickly punch him in the face. “Son of a bitch,” groans Michael. “God. Did you mean to do that, or was that the thing in you that wanted to punch?”

“That’s another thing. I remember our showdown last, and I also remember that after I turned into the Ghost Rider, you turned into one too,” responds Robbie. “Care to explain that?”

“You ask a lot of questions. Good. I like that. Let me try to answer all your question,” says Michael. “Let’s see. My name is Michael Badilino. Like you, I also have something living inside me, except he goes by Vengeance. It would seem like Vengeance and, what did you call him, Ghost Rider know each other, and, apparently, they can’t stand each other. So, Vengeance took some control over my body, like I assume Ghost Rider did to you, and made me start kicking your ass.”

“Well, if that’s the case,” says Robbie, “why aren’t we fighting right now?”

“I don’t have any problem with you. Vengeance is the one with the problem, and it’s with Ghost Rider. You see, I don’t exactly know what you remember from last night, but I seem to recall, after we continued to duke it out as Ghost Rider and Vengeance, a dude in nice looking suit showed up and whipped our asses. And it would seem like they hate him a lot more than they hate each other. So maybe, their just playing nice for right now.”

“Who was that guy, anyway?” asks Robbie.

“Zadkiel, from what I can gather,” responds Michael.

“The Archangel of benevolence, forgiveness and mercy?” asks Robbie.

“Yeah, that guy. Though, I doubt he’s that benevolent,” says Michael. “I mean, you were there at that cult meeting. Didn’t that strike you as a weird thing for a benevolent being to be associated with?”

“Yeah but he didn’t show up until the meeting was broken up by us,” responds Robbie.

“Keyword in that sentence was ‘us,’ he didn’t show up to do it for himself,” replies Michael. He starts walking backwards out of the junkyard still looking at Robbie. “Look, we can go back and forth on this all day, but I would prefer not staying in this junkyard because after what I did, this is basically a crime scene now. I mean, how bad would it look for a detective to be somewhere where two people were stabbed and he has some drops of blood on him, right?” He turns around and starts walking forwards.

This surprises Robbie. “You’re a cop?” he asks and then starts walking out as well. Michael turns back around to face Robbie and pulls his badge out of his pocket, confirming he is a police officer, turns back around, and continues walking.

Michael exits the junkyard and stops walking. Robbie exits as well and starts walking to his car. He stops and asks, “Do you need a ride or something?”

“Nah, I’m good,” responds Michael.

“Where’s your car?” says Robbie.

“My motorcycle is like a mile from here,” answers Michael.

Robbie sighs heavily. “Come on. Get in my car. I’ll take you to it.” He reaches his car, opens the door, and waits for Michael.

Michael turns his head towards Robbie. “Nah, I’m-”

“I said get in,” Robbie cuts Michael. Michael, clearly sensing that Robbie was not going to take no for an answer, walks toward Robbie’s Charger and gets in. Robbie gets in as well.

“Nice car,” Michael says.

Robbie turns his head towards Michael, puts the key in the ignition, says “I know,” and then turns on the car. “Where did you park your motorcycle?”

Michael, without looking at Robbie, says “Just go straight.” Robbie starts driving. After a few minutes of silence, he arrives at a motorcycle parked on the side of the road, safely assumes it’s Michael’s, and stops the car. Michael gets out and gets on his motorcycle. Robbie looks at his motorcycle and says, “Nice bike.”

Michael turns his head towards Robbie and says, “I know.” He pauses for a bit and asks, “Where do you want to continue our conversation about Zadkiel?”

“I say we take our conversation at my house. God knows Gabe must be worried sick by now,” replies Robbie.

“Who’s Gabe?” asks Michael.

“My little brother,” answers Robbie.

“Alright, your house it is. I’ll just follow you there.” Michael turns on his motorcycle. Robbie pulls a U-Turn and starts driving to his home, and Michael closely follows.

They finally arrive at Robbie’s house and park their respective vehicles, Robbie in the driveway and Michael on the street. Robbie enters, and Gabe is there watching the door.

“Woah, how long have you been waiting there?” asks Robbie. Hearing this, Michael chooses to wait outside for a bit, just to see how this interaction goes.

“Right here, specifically? Not too long, I just placed myself here when I heard your car door. If you meant the living room, then pretty much when I noticed by my big brother was gone. Again.” 

Robbie gets closer to his brother. “I had to go do something last night.”

“Was it Ghost Rider related?” Gabe asks

“Gabe-”

“Was it or was it not?”

Robbie dejectedly says, “It was.”

Gabe, clearly not happy with this answer, moves away from Robbie and does not look at him. When he almost enters the kitchen, is when he finally turns around. “C’mon Robbie! I don’t understand why you put up with this. This was your first night back in a long time and you couldn’t spend it here at home.”

“It’s not like I had much of a choice,” answers Robbie. 

“What do you mean? Did the Rider just take over?” asks Gabe. Robbie nods, which pisses Gabe off even more. “So, let me get this straight. Not only are you willingly letting something stay inside you that will constantly put you in harms way, but, whenever it wants, it could just take away your free will and make you do things you may not want to do? Am I understanding this correctly? Because if so, I don’t understand why you don’t just get rid of it.”

“It’s not that simple,” Robbie responds.

“Bullshit it’s not that simple. To me it’s very simple, my brother is doing something that is going to end up getting him killed and I just have to sit here and let it happen.”

Michael finally enters. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but we kinda have some pressing matters to attend to.” He closes the front door.

“Who the hell are you? And how long have you been outside?” asks Gabe.

“Well, my name is Detective Michael Badilino. I’ve been waiting right outside your door since Robbie entered. And like I said, me and your brother have something important to talk about. So, you can stay here and listen to us discuss something that is definitely not to calm you down in the least, or you can leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” says Gabe.

Michael sits down and looks at Gabe impressed. “A bit stubborn. I like this kid.”

“I’m not a kid,” says Gabe.

“How old are you?” questions Michael.

“17,” responds Gabe.

“Then according to the law, you are.” Michael looks at Robbie who is still standing. “We gonna talk now or what?” Robbie finally sits down. “Alright Robbie, where do you want to start?”

“What do you know about Zadkiel?” asks Robbie

“Pretty much the same thing you do. Practically nothing,” answers Michael.

“Who’s Zadkiel?” asks Gabe.

Michael looks at Gabe. “As far as we can tell, he’s the Archangel of forgiveness, mercy, and benevolence.”

“An archangel? What the hell is an archangel doing here,” inquires Gabe.

“Leading a cult,” answers Robbie, “at least that’s what it looks like.”

“Alright then, so why is he a problem?” asks Gabe.

“Cuz he tried to kill us last night. Or early this morning. I really don’t remember what time it was,” says Michael.

Gabe turns his head towards Robbie. “So, now an archangel is trying to kill you?”

“Maybe,” says Robbie. 

“Maybe?” snides Michaels. “I seem to remember he whipped our asses.” 

Robbie turns towards Michael. “And I seem to remember, we attacked him first.”

Gabe turns to Michael. “Wait, why would an archangel try to kill you?”

“Well, because, like your brother, I have a Spirit of Vengeance in me,” responds Michael.

“There’s two of you?” asks Gabe. Michael nods. “You were right. This didn’t calm me down one bit.” Gabe begins to leave the living room.

Robbie gets up and begins following Gabe. “Gabe, listen -”

Gabe stops, but does not look at Robbie. “No, you listen. If you’re going to keep doing this, and you’re going to get into a war with an archangel, then I don’t want anything to do with this.” He takes a deep breath and turns around to look at his older brother. “Do you know what it’s like Robbie? To be worried sick that your brother, the person you love the most, is possibly getting into trouble because he’s gone almost every night. Then you find blood on his clothes, and different scenarios keep running through your head, but you put those thoughts aside, because you're in denial. And then you find out the truth, and it’s much worse then anything you could have imagined. Then he disappears. For months. And you think ‘This is it. He’s finally dead. I’m all alone.’ Then, he comes home, tells you that it’s going to be like this forever because of a deal he made. And now, you’re here with some other poor soul leading you to fight something that can kill you in an instant. No? Of course, you don’t. But I do. I just want you to be safe Robbie, and you’ll never be safe with that thing inside you. So, for right now, I want nothing to do with it. Which kinda means, I want nothing to do with you.” Gabe goes to his room.

Michael, seeing how this speech affected Robbie, tries to comfort him. “I’m sure he didn’t mean that. He’s had to take in a lot of bad information and he’s trying to deal with it. From the little that I’ve seen of you two, I know he loves you and he won’t stay mad forever. He’ll calm down, eventually.”

“Maybe. Maybe not,” says Robbie.

Michael, clearly uncomfortable, clears his throat. “You know, it might be good for you if you try to focus on something else for now.”

Robbie looks at Michael. “Yeah, maybe. Let’s do that.”

Michael says, “Alright. Let’s get to work.” They go to the kitchen and attempt to continue their conversation after what just happened.


	8. Is This The Truth? Who Knows?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zadkiel confronts both Michael and Robbie and tries to get them to understand where he is coming from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back. Another chapter is up. Not a lot of action in this chapter. I hope that's ok with you. Let me know what you think down in the comments.

Michael and Robbie sit down at Robbie’s kitchen table. Robbie is still reeling from the talk he just had with Gabe, and it clearly shows. 

Michael says, “Look, I’m gonnna sound a bit like a dick right now, but I’m gonna need you to pay attention, so put all your baggage to the side, just for right now. Because we have to discuss something that affects the both of us, and I would rather not end up in ditch somewhere because you couldn’t keep it together.”

Robbie no longer looks sad, but now he stares at Michael angrily. “What the hell, man?”

Michael responds, “Hey, it sucks. But our lives are in danger, and, if my suspicions are correct, anyone we care about might in danger too. So, pull yourself together for Gabe’s sake. Ok?”

Robbie sees no fault in Michael’s logic. “Alright, where do you want to start?” asks Robbie.

The chairs they are sitting on start to violently shake. Both Robbie and Michael try to stand up, but they can’t. They look very clearly distressed. A giant flash of light hits the room, blinding both men. Robbie starts getting his sight back, and that’s when he notices that he is no longer in his kitchen. He looks around and sees he’s sitting next to Michael in, what appears to be, a booth in an empty 1950’s style diner. Robbie notices that Michael is starting to rub his eyes, implying that he too is regaining his eyesight. They both look across from them, and they see Zadkiel, sitting on the opposite side of the booth. 

Both Robbie and Michael’s heads start to steam, and they start to transform. “That’s enough of that,” says Zadkiel. He raises his hand, and the transformations stop. Michael tries to lunge at Zadkiel, but, again, he realizes he can’t get up. “Did you honestly think that would work?” asks Zadkiel. 

“Can’t blame a guy for trying, right?” responds Michael.

A waitress comes to table. “All right guys, what will it be?”

Zadkiel smiles at the woman, who he sees is named Mindy, and says, “I would a stack of pancakes with scrambled eggs and bacon on the side. And a nice cup of black coffee.”

“Alright, what about you two?” asks Mindy.

Both Robbie and Michael simultaneously sternly say, “Nothing.”

Mindy is taken back by their response. “Ok, I’ll come back with your order soon.”

“Thank you,” says Zadkiel as Mindy leaves. He looks back at Michael and Robbie and smirks. “You know, that was very rude, right?” They still show no emotion. Zadkiel sucks his teeth. “I’m aware that Damaris’s actions may have turned you off from being around me, but I can assure you that she does not speak for me. I am hoping that we can somehow manage to have a civil conversation without resorting to violence.”

“So, you were aware of her actions?” asks Robbie.

“Of course, I was aware,” answers Zadkiel.

“And yet, you did nothing to stop her. Why?” asks Michael.

“It’s … complicated,” says Zadkiel.

“Try us,” replies Robbie. 

Mindy returns with Zadkiel’s order and some syrup. “Here you go.”

Zadkiel smiles at her again. “Thank you very much.” She leaves and Zadkiel looks back at Robbie and Michael. “So, this is going to be a bit of a long story.”

“Well, you brought us here and it seems like we can’t leave until you let us, so it looks like we have plenty of time,” says Michael.

Zadkiel takes a deep breath, picks up the syrup, puts it on his pancakes, and then picks up a fork and butter knife to start eating. After he swallows the piece he was eating, he begins to speak. “First of all, my name is Zadkiel, and I am an archangel of the lord. My story officially starts when I was kicked out of Heaven.”

“Like Lucifer?” questions Robbie.

“Kind of, but not exactly. You see, Lucifer tried to take over Heaven and for that he was banished to hell. I refused to get involved in the little familial spat that was taking place and for my ‘apathy,’ as God put it, I was banished here, to Earth.” Zadkiel takes another bite of his food and takes a sip of his coffee. “Safe to say, I was a little bit peeved by this, and I started to ‘act out’ so to speak. I brought forth onto humans my own kind of justice, most of which was gruesome. My biggest regret is creating you.” He takes a bite of his bacon.

“Us?” questions Michael.

“Well, I’m not talking to you,” answers Zadkiel. He points his butter knife at both Michael and Robbie. “No, I’m talking to them. Those things currently writhing inside both of you, begging to come out.”

“The Riders? You made them?” asks Robbie.

Zadkiel nods and continues eating. “Yes, a long time ago. I originally made a thousand of them. Created them to enact vengeance on the humans that deserve it. I gave them all a sliver of my power, but that little bit was enough to do their jobs. Alas, most saw even the tiniest of sins as deserving of vengeance. Even telling a little white lie was enough to invoke their wrath. Now, you must remember, I was in a very emotional state. It was only through the passage of time that clarity finally hit me. So, I begged God for forgiveness, for the all the things that I did during my temper tantrum.”

“And he didn’t respond?” sarcastically asks Michael.

“Worse. He did.” Zadkiel finishes his pancakes and his eggs. “He told me that he would be willing to forgive me, but I had to do penance. In my slightly weakened state, I would have to retrieve every one of the Spirits of Vengeance, and I had to do it in certain amount of time. Only by getting back all of them and taking back my power will I be able to finally return home.”

“So,” Robbie starts, “we’re right here. We can’t do anything to stop you. Why don’t you just take them?”

“It doesn’t work like that. They need to be willingly given up by their hosts. I can’t just take them,” says Zadkiel.

Michael shifts in his seat, as much as he can shift without getting up. “You know, none of this explains Damaris and the cult.”

“Patience Michael. That is a virtue you seem to lack. I was just getting there.” Zadkiel finishes all his food, slides the plate away from him, and grabs his coffee. “I started to gain followers in my journey toward repentance, as you would expect. Devout believers, lost souls who want some proof of a higher calling, anyone like that would reach out to me, and with how weak I was I was in no position to turn down the help. These humans would help me search far and wide for the poor souls that the Spirits have attached themselves to. One of said followers was Damaris. Her actions that have caught your attention Michael were fairly new developments. She was aware that the time limit that God gave me is getting closer and she got desperate. She felt that the ‘cult,’ as you put it, needed to take more drastic measures. Especially since I am so close.”

“What do you mean by close?” asks Robbie.

“I mean that you two are the last ones. There are no more hosts anywhere on this planet. No more anywhere in the universe. It’s … just … you … two.” With that, Zadkiel finishes his coffee. Robbie and Michael look at each other in disbelief.

“So, you want us to just believe you and give them up to you?” asks Michael. “Because I’m having a hard time believing anything that is coming out of your mouth.”

“After all that has happened to you, that is to be expected,” says Zadkiel. “But say I am telling the truth. I am your only chance.”

Robbie looks confused. “Chance at what?” he asks.

“Salvation Robbie. Salvation.” Zadkiel pauses for a few seconds. “You both must know that you’re incredibly hard to kill. Any injuries that occur to you are healed anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. But there is one thing neither of you do know. And I have seen it a number of times. After a certain point, you will no longer age.” This confuses both Michael and Robbie. “These Spirits need you alive, and they will do anything in their power to keep you that way. You will not age. You will not get sick. You will not get hurt.”

“What’s your point?” asks Michael.

“My point, which may mean nothing to you Michael, is that you will be, for all intents and purposes, immortal. Your stubbornness and your pessimism would cause you to live forever, constantly seeing those you care about wither and die.” Robbie gulps and tears start to form. “You understand this, don’t you Robbie? You understand how this would be a curse. Once my time limit is over, I would have no need for the Spirits. Sure, later on I can take them anyway, but it would be redundant. You could also pass them on to someone else, like what Mr. Blaze did to you, but then you would be continuing an endless cycle.”

“So, you want us to give them back to you for our own good?” questions Robbie.

“Yes. And maybe, as the saying goes, you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours,” says Zadkiel.

Mindy returns with the bill. “Is everything ok here?”

Zadkiel smiles at the Mindy. “Oh, yes. Everything is right as rain.” He moves so that Mindy could more easily get the dirty dishes.

“What do you mean by that? We scratch your back, you’ll scratch ours?” asks Robbie.

“Simple. If you give me want I need to get home, I’ll be able to give you two what you want most.” He looks at Robbie. “You still blame yourself for what happened to your brother. I can fix that.” Zadkiel sees that this might convince Robbie. He then looks at Michael. “And you. Wouldn’t you like to -”

“Fuck you,” Michael sternly says. “You shut your goddamn mouth.” The anger can be felt radiating off Michael, and Zadkiel picks up on that.

Zadkiel smiles and picks up that check. “Well, I tried as best I could. I do expect an answer, even if it is a no. And since time is starting to run out, and I am in a bit of a hurry, I unfortunately won’t give you much time to think this over.” He stands up with check. “Midnight. Santa Monica Pier. I hope to see you both there.” Zadkiel snaps his fingers and Robbie and Michael disappear. His smile drops and then sets the check on fire.

Mindy comes up to Zadkiel and asks, “Do you think this all worked, my Lord?”

“I don’t know,” responds Zadkiel. “With Robbie, I can see some doubt in his eyes. He would at least consider my offer. Michael, however, is a different story. His pessimism has proven difficult to overcome. Saying yes is something that would never cross his mind.”

“What happens if only one, or even neither one, is willing to comply?” asks Mindy. 

Zadkiel smiles at Mindy. “Well then, we’ll just have to get more creative then. Won’t we?”


	9. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael and Robbie aren't sure what to think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a shorter chapter. I'm slowly trying to get back into writing this story.

Michael and Robbie find themselves back at Robbie’s house. Both have different expressions on their faces. Michael is angry at Zadkiel’s audacity, meanwhile Robbie is unsure what to believe. On the one hand, Zadkiel could be his only chance at getting rid of the Ghost Rider and going back to living a normal life, which would definitely make Gabe happy. On the other hand, everything that he knows about Zadkiel seems to be fishy at best. And that story of his left a lot of unanswered questions.

Michael sees Robbie’s look of uncertainty and asks him, “You’re not actually considering giving Zadkiel the Ghost Rider, are you?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. It’s complicated,” Robbie responds.

“Look, I get it. You’re going through a rough patch with your brother right now, but don’t be stupid enough to give such a powerful being, that you’re not even entirely sure can be trusted, even more power!” Michael exclaims. He tries to calm down a little before continuing. “Robbie, listen to me. You don’t seem to be a complete moron. Please, for the love of God, use your head. Nothing of what he told us just now adds up. You saw what they were completely willing to do you. That’s not just one member going murder happy, that’s a lot of them, maybe even all of them. And a group of people who banded together to help an archangel re-enter Heaven wouldn’t go around sacrificing people, especially if the whole point of Zadkiel’s supposed mission is gain God’s forgiveness.”

Robbie responds, in a low voice, “You’re right. It doesn’t add up.”  
“It doesn’t,” Michael says.

‘But maybe that’s because we don’t have all the information,” Robbie comments.

Michael squints his eyes at Robbie. “What…did…you…just…say?” asks Michael.

“We know part of what’s going on here, or at least we think we do. But we don’t everything,” Robbie states.

“Are you serious right now?” questions Michael.

“Are you?” asks Robbie. “You seem to be taking this a lot worse than me. You seem to be so adamant that Zadkiel can’t be trusted.”

“That’s because he can’t!” shout Michael.

“How do I know you can be?” asks Robbie. “I don’t even know you for one day. Yet, you want me to completely trust you on this.”

“Maybe you can’t trust me. But ask yourself this Robbie: if I’m right that Zadkiel can’t be trusted, what happens?” asks Michael.

“I don’t know,” Robbie answers. “But maybe you should ask yourself: what happens if you’re wrong?” Robbie adds.

Michael takes a deep breath. He cannot believe that Robbie is being this difficult. But maybe he shouldn’t be that surprised. After all, like he said, they barely met each other. They don’t really know anything about each other. For all he knows, this is exactly how Robbie would react to all of this. He responds to Robbie’s question with, “I don’t know what would happen if I’m wrong.”

“The way I see it, we both need more answers to be able to make an informed decision about his offer. And, as far as I know, there is only one place where there is even the slightest chance that we may get that information,” Robbie says.

“Where is that?” asks Michael.

“Where we met,” responds Robbie. 

“Otto’s?” Michael realizes.

“Otto’s,” Robbie confirms.

“You know, after what went down there, that place is probably riddled with cops right now, right?” asks Michael.

“Well then, I guess it’s a good thing you are a cop,” responds Robbie.

Michael could not argue with Robbie’s logic. They need more answers and Otto’s might be the only place to get them. He sighs heavily and says, “Alright, let’s go.”

Both Robbie and Michael start walking to the door. Robbie stops midway and yells out, “Gabe, I’m going out.”

Michael turns around and looks at Robbie. “Dude, you know he’s probably not going to answer.”

Robbie gulps and dejectedly says, “Yeah, probably not.” He and Michael board their respective vehicles and start heading towards Otto’s, and hopefully they will find some answers to their burning questions.


	10. Liking my chances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robbie and Michael go back to Otto's and Michael encounters some cult members.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's some graphic violence in this. Not too much. But enough to warrant me telling you about it.

Robbie and Michael arrive at Otto’s. Michael pulls up to the driver’s side of Robbie’s Charger. They get off their respective vehicles and walk to the front gate. Michael pushes the gate open. They enter Otto’s and make their way to his office. After they walked a few feet, Michael puts his arm in front of Robbie, signaling him to stop.

Robbie stops, looks down at Michael’s arm and asks, “What the hell are you doing?”

“They’ve been here since we left,” Michael states.

“How do you know?” asks Robbie.

“When you have one of these Spirits of Vengeance long enough, it seems like you obtain some form of retrocognition, allowing you to see into the past,” Michael says. 

Robbie can’t tell if Michael is being serious or not, so he asks, “Really?”

“No, of course not stupid. The body of the person I stabbed is missing,” Michael replies as he points to the spot, right in front of Otto’s office, where he left one of Zadkiel’s follower’s lifeless body.

Robbie looks at the spot, notices that the body he stole the hood from is missing, and sees that there is no blood in sight. Both he and Michael walk past the office and head towards the warehouse. They look around and they both any evidence of their little scrimmage has disappeared. The junked cars are all free of any dents or broken windows. The holes they made in the walls of the warehouse are all patched up. Everything is gone.

“How the hell did they fix everything so quick?” asks Robbie.

“What part of ‘Archangel’ don’t you understand? Zadkiel probably just snapped his fingers and got rid of any evidence of them being here. Got to hand it to him, he knows we’re onto him so he’s not taking any chances,” replies Michael.

“If that’s the case, doesn’t that mean he also got rid of anything that has any information that can help us?” asks Robbie.

“Probably. But there is only one way to be sure,” answers Michael. He and Robbie walk back to Otto’s office. He stops and extends his arm toward it. “Go inside and see if there is anything that can help us,” Michael orders.

Michael’s tone angered Robbie. He then angrily asks, “Why the hell don’t you do it?”

Michael replies, “Because, I’m a cop. It would be a lot easier for me to explain why I’m chilling in the middle of junkyard than you. When you do it, it’s trespassing. When I do it, with a little bit of convincing, it’s investigating. Now, get in there Robbie.”

Michael lightly shoves Robbie towards the door. If looks could kill, Michael would be dead by now. Robbie begrudgingly goes into the office to start looking around. Michael stands watch. After a minute, he sees something in his peripheral vision. He makes his way in the things general direction. He stops when he hears a slight step on the sand. He can clearly tell that whoever is there either wants him to know they are there, or they are inexperienced in tailing someone.

“You know I can hear you, right?” Michael asks. After he says this, four people all stand up from their respective hiding places. One of which, a redheaded male, he recognizes from the gas station. He is the cult member he initially followed here. “What are you all doing? You know this is not going to end well for you?” 

“Maybe. Or maybe it’s not going to end well for you,” claims Damian, the redhead. He signals for the rest of the men to get out of their hiding places. Michael sees that they are all carrying their curved, serrated blades. “Still think this is not going to go well for us?”

“Yeah, I’m still liking my chances,” Michael replies.

This annoyed Damian and the other cult members, so they all rushed toward Michael at the same time. Michael quickly squatted down, grabbed two fistfuls of sand, and threw it them up in the air to disorient his attackers. He struck his nearest opponent with an open palm strike square on his jaw. His opponent swung wildly, attempting to stab him, but Michael dodged, caught the cultist’s arm with his left underarm, then used his right hand to yank his arm towards his own body, forcing his opponent to drop the knife.

Michael then pushed the cultist toward a charging Damian, causing them both to fall. Another cultist tries to thrust his blade at Michael’s head, but Michael sidesteps the attack, kicks his attacker in the midsection, then, as the cultist slightly crouches, puts his hands behind his attacker’s neck, and brings his face down right onto his knee.

The fourth attacker approaches Michael, trying to slash him. Because he can see them coming from a mile away, Michael keeps dodging the cult member’s attacks. After ducking an attack, Michael punches the cultist in the gut, then elbows him in the face, followed by low kicking his legs with enough force to make him fall, face-forward.

“Come on guys. This is just embarrassing,” Michael brags. He wipes his forehead and says, “Look. I haven’t even broken a sweat yet.”

The cult member that Michael threw towards Damian stands up and puts his hands up as if he is going to box him. "Really? You're going to try and fight me without your knife? You're kinda a dumbass aren't you?" Michael asks. The cultist approaches Michael, attempts a jab, but Michael blocks it and pushes him back. He then tries an uppercut, but Michael moves out of the way, grabs his arm, and performs a hip toss. "This is going to be your last chance. Leave before I seriously hurt you," Michael warns.

Damian quickly pulls a gun from behind his pants, and shoots Michael in the back. Michael groans in pain and exclaims, "You had a fucking gun on you this entire time?!" He then turns around to face Damian, when one of the cult members comes up and stabs him in back of his knee. Michael then falls to one knee and all of the cult members start stabbing him at the same time, all in different locations. The side, the arms, the neck, etc. After a few seconds of this, Michael turns into Vengeance and pushes all of the cult members off of himself. Vengeance rips off a car door, chucks it at one of the cult members who has stood up, and decapitates him. Vengeance then walks to another cult member who is trying to crawl away, grabs him by the leg, lifts him up and puts him on the hood of a car. He then grabs one of the cult members arms, while still holding the leg, and then begins pulling, causing the cult member to be ripped in half. Damian begins unloading his entire clip at Vengeance, but this only causes Vengeance to become annoyed. He pulls out Michael's knife, throws it at Damian, but Damian moves slightly making the knife stab him through the shoulder. Another cult member tries to stab Vengeance with his serrated blade, but Vengeance catches his arm and applies pressure which forces the cult member to let go of the knife. Vengeance then quickly catches the knife, stabs the cult member in the midsection with it, and then drags the knife upwards, slicing the cult member all the way up to his throat. 

Vengeance then walks to Damian. He puts one foot on Damian's back to prevent him from standing up. He prepares to the crush Damian's skull with his foot, when Ghost Rider comes out of nowhere to tackle Vengeance off of Damian. Vengeance then starts turning back into Michael and Ghost Rider starts turning back to Robbie. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" Robbie asks. 

"Defending myself. What does it look like?" Michael answers.

"It looked like you where you about to crush that guy's skull," Robbie replies.

"Well, he shot me," Michael exclaims. 

"Oh don't tell me you've never been shot before," Robbie says. 

"Of course I have. But that doesn't mean that I have to like it," responds Michael. Damian starts standing up, but Michael quickly squats, grabs a loose tire, throws at Damian, knocking him unconscious. 

"Stop doing that. You're going to kill him," Robbie says. 

"Why does that matter?" Michael asks. 

"It matters because you were right. Any evidence in Otto's office that would in any way tie back to Zadkiel is gone. Or it was never there to begin with. That means if we want to get any information about Zadkiel, we have to get from someone from the cult," Robbie explains. 

Michael now understands Robbie's insistence to keep the last of his attackers alive. As of right now, he's the only source of information they can get their hands on. He asks Robbie, "You think he can fit in your trunk?"

"Of course. He would not exactly be the first guy I put in the trunk of my car," Robbie replies. "The only question now is, where do we take him. I can't exactly take him home, with everything going on with Gabe."

"Let's just take him to my place. I live in Lincoln Heights. That's not that far from here," Michael answers.

"That sounds like a plan. But you're carrying him to my car," Robbie says.

"Why me?" asks Michael.

"Because I'm not the one who almost killed him," Robbie replies.

"Technically that was Vengeance who almost killed him, but I get your point," Michael says.

Robbie and Michael begin walking toward the exit. Michael, when he reaches Damian, reaches down, grabs Damian by the collar of his shirt, and begins dragging him out. Robbie and Michael, with Damian in tow, reach Robbie's car. Robbie opens the trunk and Michael shoves Damian in it. Robbie gets in his car and Michael gets on his motorcycle.

"Where do you live?" asks Robbie.

"Just follow me," Michael answers. They both turn their respective vehicles on. Michael then starts driving toward his home, with Robbie closely following him. Hopefully they can get some answers to the questions they have from Damian, because the clock is ticking.


	11. Not my first time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael and Robbie take Damian to Michael's house to try to get answers from him.

Robbie and Michael pull up to Michael’s home in Lincoln Heights. Michael says to Robbie, “Just wait right here while I open my garage door. The last thing I need around here is for people to see that their friendly neighbor police officer, along with some dude in a leather jacket that looks like he’s been through some shit, is dragging some unconscious white boy into his home. Just back it in, I’ll take him out, and then just park outside.” He opens his garage door and Robbie does as Michael asked. Robbie backs in, gets out, opens the trunk, and Michael takes out Damian’s unconscious body after turning on the light. Robbie then parks the car outside as Michael closes his garage door.

 

Robbie walks to Michael’s garage door and pounds on it. He waits for a few seconds and pounds the door again. “Hey open up man!” Robbie exclaims. He hears keys being jingled. He turns to look in the direction of the noise and sees the front door open. He walks to the door and sees Michael standing there.

 

“What kind of host would I be if I made you go though my garage to officially enter my home?” Michael jests. He lets Robbie through the door and leads him to the garage. Robbie sees that Damian is already tied to a chair.

 

“That was quick,” Robbie says.

 

“What can I say? This isn’t exactly the first time I’ve had to tie someone up to get information, or just get information out of them period. Practice makes perfect,” Michael replies. He gets closer to the unconscious cult member and slightly crouches. “Hey! Wake up tonto!” He lightly slaps Damian, causing him to stir and wake up.

 

Damian immediately starts screaming, “Help! I’ve been kidnapped! Please help me!”

 

Robbie starts approaching Damian, but Michael pulls him back by grabbing his jacket. Robbie stares daggers at Michael. “What the hell are you doing? Someone’s gonna notice him screaming.”

 

“They would, if this garage wasn’t soundproof,” Michael replies.

 

“What?” asks Robbie.

 

“Like I said, not my first time,” Michael says. Damian continues screaming for help. “But if you want to hit him just to make him shut up, I’d be cool with that.”

 

Robbie punches Damian. “Oh goddamit!” Damian exclaims.

 

“We have some questions for you and you’re gonna answer them,” Robbie demands.

 

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” replies Damian.

 

Robbie punches Damian twice, once in the gut and once in the face. “You’re going to make this much harder on yourself then it has to be,” he says.

 

Michael approaches Damian and reaches into his pocket. Damian starts squirming around, “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”

 

“Relax, I’m not trying to get fresh with you or anything…,” Michael begins. He pulls out Damian’s wallet. He goes through it and finds some I.D. “Damian. Just looking for some answers.” He walks towards his work bench and leans. “I would suggest answering this man’s questions. If you know what’s good for you.”

 

“That’s not going to happen,” Damian replies.

 

Robbie punches Damian again multiple times. Michael continues to go through the wallet looking for anything that might help them, but to no avail.

 

“What does Zadkiel want?” asks Robbie.

 

“Fuck you,” Damian says.

 

“What was that?” Robbie asks.

 

“I said FUCK YOU!” Damian shouts.

 

Robbie punches Damian again. This continues for an hour with little to show for it. Damian is bloody, but still is resisting answering Robbie’s questions.

 

“Hey Robbie,” Michael begins, “Why don’t you take a break?”

 

Robbie looks at Michael with confusion. “What? Why?” he asks.

 

“You’ve been going at this for an hour now. It’s 2 o’clock. It’s lunch time. Let’s take a break,” Michael says.

 

“Let’s? I’m the one who’s been doing all of the work right now,” Robbie replies.

 

“Well then, let me make that up to you right now by getting you some food,” Michael answers. “He’s not going anywhere. A little break won’t hurt.”

 

“We’re kinda on a time crunch here,” Robbie points out.

 

“True. Which is another reason why you might need a break. This is not working, so maybe we need to regroup and think of something else,” Michael says. “Plus, I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. We haven’t had anything to eat all day.”

 

“Fine,” Robbie begrudgingly agrees.

They begin to walk out when Damian says, “Take as much time as you need. I’m not going to break.”

 

“My god, he is annoying. I don’t know how Zadkiel put up with him for as long as he has,” Michael says. He closes the door to his garage once both he and Robbie are out. They begin walking to Michael’s kitchen.

 

Robbie asks Michael, “How do you know he won’t get out?”

 

“If he does try, I’ll know. I have a camera in there,” Michael responds. Robbie raises an eyebrow. “What? Like I’ve said, this isn’t my first time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think in the comment section below.


	12. Let's chat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robbie and Michael have a conversation about how to better deal with Damian. Robbie doesn't approve of Michael's plan.

Robbie sits at Michael’s kitchen table while Michael makes them lunch. He did not tell him what he was going to make, but at this point Robbie did not really care. Michael was right. They haven’t eaten all day, and he worked up quite an appetite trying to get information out of the “friend” in Michael’s garage. While waiting for the food to be ready, Robbie can’t help but think about the conversation they had with Zadkiel at the diner. The last thing he wants is to sit back and watch his brother die. And if he has an opportunity to get rid of the Rider and give Gabe the ability to walk again, then he should take it. But he still has too many unanswered questions that all stem from one giant question: Is Zadkiel telling the truth? Is he actually an archangel who is seeking repentance? Does he actually mean us no harm? Can he give us the one thing we want most in the world? And if he can, will he if we do give him the Riders back? Because of all this uncertainty, he is sitting down in the kitchen of a man who he hardly knows.

And that’s another thing. He still does not know if he can even trust Michael? He seemed all too willing to brutally murder, with no hesitation, those cult members at the junkyard. He doesn’t seem to be too willing to share anything about his past. And the stuff he does say raises more questions than they answer. But, for the time being, Robbie just sits and waits, hoping that a little break is what he needs before he goes back into interrogation mode.

Michael, on the other hand, seems to be more relaxed than Robbie. Mostly because he still maintains that Zadkiel still can’t be trusted, so, unlike Robbie, he doesn’t feel as much pressure from that time limit that he gave them. He still believes that, at the end of this day, he will still have Vengeance inside of him. Now, what happens after today, he does not know, but for right now he doesn’t concern himself with that. Michael gets out of his head just before the pork chops burn. He puts them on a plate and takes them to the table. “Here you go,” says Michael. “Just wait while I get the utensils.”

Michael brings the forks and the knives. He sits down and begins digging in. Robbie looks at Michael, with some slight confusion. “What are we doing?” he asks Michael.

“Eating,” Michael responds. “I thought that was obvious.”

“I get that, but it also feels like we’re wasting time,” Robbie says. “We’ve got nine and half hours until Zadkiel expects to meet us at the Santa Monica Pier, and we’re still in the exact same place, information wise, now as we were when he zapped us to that diner,” he adds. “I just spent the last hour trying to beat information out of that pendejo in your garage, and he didn’t break.”

Michael can sense the frustration radiating off Robbie. “I know and it sucks. But that’s the thing, it was only for the last hour that you were trying to get info out of him. That dude’s been in a cult worshipping the ground that Zadkiel walked on for who knows how long. He’s probably been brainwashed.” Michael takes a bite out of his food. He continues, “Though hopefully in the just the normal cult way and not in an actual mind control kind of way, because if it’s the latter, then it’s going to be a fucking bitch trying to get answers out of him.” He continues eating his food. He sees Robbie still hasn’t touched his food. “Look man, we still get hungry. For right now, just try to eat a little, then you can continue to worry.”

“Why aren’t you more worried? You heard what he said right?” Robbie asks.

“Oh my god, dude!” Michael exclaims. “Look, I’ll make you a deal. We can continue having this conversation, but not before you eat at least one pork chop, to completion. Then, and only then, will I talk. You can continue to vent your frustrations, but I’ll just stay quiet the whole time.”

Robbie, begrudgingly, begins eating. To his slight surprise, the pork chop is quite good.

Robbie’s about halfway through the piece when Michael asks, “Beer or soda?”

Robbie looks up to see that Michael is at his open fridge. “I’ll just have a soda for right now,” he replies.

Michael grabs two sodas and hands one to Robbie. They continue to eat their lunch in silence. Ten minutes go by, and both are now full. Michael asks, “So, you want to talk now?”

“I’ll reiterate, why aren’t you more worried?” Robbie asks, again. “You and I are in the same boat. We have the same time limit placed on us, yet I seem to be the only one concerned. Why is that?”

“I think it’s because I still believe that Zadkiel is evil, while you’re here hoping that he’s not. We both expect different things at the end of the day. You expect to finally be freed of the Ghost Rider, whereas I expect to still be a vessel for Vengeance. You expect change. I expect more of the same,” Michael responds.

“You’re not even going to try to find answers, are you?” Robbie asks.

“Of course, I’m going to try. I’m still a detective. I want answers. I just think the answers that I’m going to find are only going to prove me right,” Michael says.

“Yeah well, the way things are going, it doesn’t look like either one of us are going to get any answers. Not from this guy, anyway,” Robbie says.

“No, you’re not going to get any answers,” Michael says. “You were the one trying the get answers out of him for the past hour. And you got nothing to show for it. Now, it’s my turn.”

“What makes you think you’ll have better luck with him than I did?” Robbie asks.

“I used to be in the marines. I picked up a few things during my time in a special task force. I think I can crack him,” Michael declares.

“You picked up some techniques in interrogation?” Robbie asks.

“More or less,” Michael answers.

“Well, come on then. Let’s go,” Robbie says.

Both leave the kitchen area and return to the garage. Damian, still tied to the chair, sees them and says, “Well, look who’s back? Gonna try to get me to squeal again.?” Neither answer. Michael walks to a large aluminum tool box. “What? Are you two giving me the silent treatment now?” Still silence from the two hosts of the Spirits of Vengeance. Michael continues digging through the tool box. “Are you two going to do ‘Good Cop, Bad Cop’ on me?”

Finally, when he finds what he’s looking for, Michael decides to respond. “No, this is going to be more like ‘Bad Cop, Worse Cop’ if that makes sense.” He pulls out a brown tool roll and sets it on his work bench. He unrolls it, and Robbie can see several items, including pliers, a switchblade, and sharp steel rods.

“Whoa, what are you going to do?” Robbie asks.

“Going to get answers,” Michael simply replies. “Just fair warning, this might get a bit gruesome, so if you want to leave now before I start, feel free. You don’t have to be here.”

“You’re going to torture him?” Robbie asks. This question draws Damian’s attention.

“More or less,” Michael answers.

“Can I talk to you for a moment, in the hall?” Robbie requests.

Michael puts down the hammer he just picked up and follows Robbie. He closes the door and asks, “What’s up?”

“When you said you picked up a few things, this is not what I thought you meant,” Robbie answers.

“Look, I’m not exactly proud of it, but I can’t deny that the skills I picked up are pretty effective,” Michael responds.

“That’s pretty messed up man,” Robbie comments.

“You were torturing him too, albeit to a lesser extant than what I plan on doing, but hey,” Michael points out.

“That’s different,” Robbie says.

“How is that different?” Michael asks.

“I tried to beat the answers out of him, sure, but I didn’t put him through the kind of hell you’re going to put him through,” Robbie responds. “You know, all because we have monsters inside us, does not mean that we have to be monsters too.”

Michael takes a deep breath and replies, “We need answers. If Zadkiel was telling the truth, then we don’t exactly have a lot of time. You may not like it but these ‘monstrous tactics’ are more likely to get answers out of him than simply beating him up with out fists.” He adds, “Like I said, you don’t have to be there when I get down to business, so if you want, you can just wait around here. Watch some tv. Play a video game. Hell, read a book. I don’t care.”

Robbie walks to the Michael’s living room, enraged by the detective’s plans. Meanwhile, Michael goes back into the garage, walks to his work bench, picks up the hammer again, gets in front of Damian and says, “Let’s chat.”


End file.
